Can private enterprises build 5G towers and rent them to operators? MIIT responds

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's micro-report, in response to the question "I heard that private enterprises need to apply for a license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to operate and build 5G towers and rent them to operators. Is this true?", the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has not established relevant licenses for the construction of communication towers, and basic telecommunications companies can choose to lease relevant tower facilities independently.

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Regarding the co-construction and sharing of tower facilities, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has put forward relevant requirements for basic telecommunications companies:

First, instead of building new ones, they can be shared. Basic telecommunications companies should make full use of existing tower resources to meet site requirements, and in principle, do not commission new towers to be built at the same site.

Second, they can be shared but not used exclusively. If relevant enterprises build new towers to meet the site requirements of basic telecommunications enterprises, they should inform other basic telecommunications enterprises through the corresponding co-construction and sharing coordination agencies, and other basic telecommunications enterprises should promptly respond to the sharing and leasing requirements.

The third is to implement safety responsibilities. When basic telecommunications companies rent tower facilities, they should clarify the corresponding qualifications and conditions, implement safety production responsibilities, and must not rent facilities with irregular construction procedures or that have not passed completion acceptance.